HÀ NỘI — Around 1,000 trees on Phạm Văn Đồng Street in Hà Nội’s Cầu Giấy District will be cut down, 158 moved, and 142 pruned for the expansion of Ring Road 3.

The trees are expected to be cut and pruned before September 30, according to the construction plan of the road.

Speaking to online newspaper Zing.vn on Wednesday, Phạm Văn Duân, deputy director of the Hà Nội Traffic Construction Project Management Board, said the board inspected the trees between April 18 and 20.

Around 986 of the 1,300 trees are xà cừ (African mahogany, scientific name Khaya senegalensis) trees of 0.4-1.2m diameter, 38 are sấu trees (scientific name dracontomelon duperoanum) trees, 65 are blackboard trees and 11 are flamboyant trees, he said.

The Hà Nội Green Tree and Park Company will be in charge of cutting, moving and pruning the trees, Duân added.

It will be tough to complete the process before September 30 as the city’s construction department has not yet given the company permission to go ahead with the task, he said.

The Hà Nội People’s Committee started the Ring Road 3 expansion project last October. The extended stretch of the road, from the south end of Mai Dịch flyover to the south end of Thăng Long Bridge, will be 5.5km long, 56 to 93m wide and will have six traffic lanes, two of which will accommodate mixed traffic.

The project costs VNĐ3 trillion (US$136.5 million), and requires 392,000sq.m of land to be acquired and 796 households and 55 office buildings to be cleared. — VNS